Australia Bushfire Relief: Nappies for Children

An average American middle class family seems like a group of people who would generally experience a quality life in our developed, modern country. 

Yet, news reports continue to show time and again that many people in this bracket struggle to get by. 

For example, the median salary of a male worker in the United States is no longer enough to cover the cost of living for a family of four, according to Business Insider. Comparatively, in 1985 the typical male worker needed 30 weeks' pay to cover those average costs.

The scene is similar in Australia, where news articles report discouraging increases in poverty, while incomes stagnate and living costs soar.

“Generally most of our receivers are normal everyday families just struggling to make ends meet,” said Samantha of Cloth Nappies for Charity, one of Jake’s Diapers Diaper Drop partners in Australia. “(Many people we help struggle with) poverty due to unemployment, drought or other natural disasters such as the recent bushfire events. These people struggle to live with very little money so therefore don’t need the added expense of nappies.”

The recent fires devastated the country, and in the worst hit areas estimates report more than 2,000 homes destroyed. Cloth Nappies for Charity leveraged the increased supply from Jakes Diapers to be able to support those with ongoing need as well as the increased need from situational poverty caused by fires.

“Recently, we provided nappies to a disaster relief group to provide families affected by the horrific bushfires,” Samantha said. “Many towns were devastated and many lost their homes as well as family members so are left to rebuild their lives. The products donated by Jake’s have allowed us to up packages to be distributed to families in and around bushfire zones that have been affected. These packages are being delivered through a local disaster relief fund and has put less of a strain on our local resources that at times can be stretched rather thinly.”

Thank you for rallying together to help our Aussie friends. We're excited to share with you that we are coming alongside a grassroots movement to solve diaper need with cloth diapers across Australia. This movement, Cloth Community Fund Australia, is working to get cloth diaper kits direct to families impacted by the bushfires, both immediately and long term. 

Jacinta is the Mom behind Cloth Community Fund Australia, and she shares this: 

"We are completely overwhelmed and blown away by the responses we’ve had for the Bush Fire appeal. Our Melbourne team has been working hard this week on donations to get them through to the victims. We want to say a big thank you!! "

With immediate needs being met, we are focusing on long term need- often overlooked in disaster response. We also know in times of crisis the most important need is cash, not random things.

We have a unique niche with cloth diapers - we are the largest cloth diaper bank in the world, leveraging powerful relationships with global manufacturers and donors to supply culturally appropriate solutions to meeting basic hygiene needs. This means we can really stretch donor dollars far, and get needed supplies- not random, mixed goods- direct to families in crisis. Our supply chain empowers responders, like Jacinta and her team, on the ground to move quickly, efficiently and effectively to meet hygiene needs of bushfire crisis survivors. 

As we prepare to work long term, your funds are a critical piece of the work we do and we are so thankful for your support. We look forward to sharing more with you soon!

 Blessings,

About Our Disaster Relief Efforts: Jake’s Diapers recognizes that every person is one disaster away from living in a situation that restricts access to basic necessities. We respond when disaster strikes, understanding the need to be clean and healthy after displacement or destruction. Supporting people impacted in this way restores hope and dignity while creating opportunity to enjoy a better quality of life as they rebuild and recover.

Make your impact today! A donation of $25 distributes hope and dignity through diapers to bushfire survivors